


Ward of the Emperor

by Laedo



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Kings & Queens, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn, The Force, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2018-11-19 11:52:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11312838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laedo/pseuds/Laedo
Summary: Rey is the ward of Earl Lor San Tekka, Warden of Jakku province. Growing up in the far, desolate, reaches of the Empire, she lives a very different life than most women of her station. When tragedy strikes, she is forced to join the royal court in the capital of Coruscant as a ward of the Emperor - the fate of any unmarried noblewoman with no living relatives. Rey must learn to navigate the alternating intrigue and disdain of the court, and her new position as lady-in-waiting to a reclusive dowager, all while under the scrutiny of the Emperor's heir - a masked man seemingly determined to either destroy, or consume her.





	1. Jakku

**Author's Note:**

> The trashy romance novel of a fantasy AU that no one asked for but I am giving you. Please do not take this too seriously. I wanted a fun project with which to challenge myself to finally complete a full length work. Rating will eventually be explicit. There will be some cannon-typical violence, and verbal suggestion of non-consensual actions, but nothing physical or explicit. Chapters where these occur will have warnings.  
> Otherwise hope you have as much fun reading as I did writing this! Love to hear comments and crit! xoxo

 

A solitary figure made its way across the smooth sandstone ridge, moving so lightly on soft-booted feet that not a sound could be heard, even in the stillness of the desert. Clad in beige from head to toe, their face was obscured by a wrapped scarf, leaving only a pair of squinting hazel eyes exposed to the midday sun. The figure carried a worn wooden staff, strung with the bodies of several small, dull plumed birds.

 

Crouching by a ledge, they reached underneath and pulled up sharply, releasing the catch to a hidden trap. Sitting back on their heels, the figure pulled out the motionless body of a desert hare, and with deft hands added it to the collection on their staff. They didn’t like to kill, but the supply wagon had been delayed by almost three days, and the traps - their own design - were humane. Once the hare was secure, the figure stood, and unwrapped their headscarf, revealing well defined, feminine features. The girl reached for her belt and, tilting her head back, emptied the remaining water from her hip flask into her mouth, the few drops doing little to soothe her parched throat.

 

In Jakku province - the most remote and desolate of the six provinces that comprised the Empire - an unprepared traveler could perish within hours. The girl had grown up in the desert. Her earliest memories were of the hot sand spilling into her sandals and burning her toes as she ran, chasing after someone who was slowly disappearing over the ever shifting horizon, her lungs choking on dry air, until someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back.  That had been fourteen years ago, and she had learned to survive in the desert, although she had learned nothing else about her past. 

 

Now she was called Rey - formally Lady Rey of Niima, ward of Lor San Tekka, Warden of Jakku Province - but if that was the name her parents gave her or if she truly deserved that titular rank she did not know. From what Lord San Tekka told her, things were very different in Jakku province than elsewhere in the Empire. The Lord himself could often be seen repairing the battlements at the ancient Niima fortress, or pumping the bellows to the blacksmith’s forge. While she was taught to read and write she was also taught to ride horses and navigate the desert. She was addressed as Lady by the few visitors Niima received every year - knights from local villages, and the Emporer’s tax collectors. The four household servants who lived in the fortress called her Rey, and she was expected to help in the kitchen or granary rather than sit in a room protecting her complexion and embroidering.She found she had a knack for making the intricate traps ideal for catching the small birds and animals lived in the desert, and when resources were scarce or supply trains inevitably delayed by sandstorms, she went into the desert to scavenge what she could.

 

It had been a good morning: four quail and a hare, enough to feed the household for another night. She knew things were even more grim in the scattered villages of the province, where people had been surviving on watered grain for almost a week. In her memory, the supply caravan from the capital had never been this late before.

 

Whistling sharply, Rey wrapped the scarf over her mouth, and jumped onto the back of a fine boned desert horse who came trotting at her call. He was old, his chestnut coat flecked with white hairs that shone silver in the sun. Clicking, she sent him off across the desert, his small curved ears pointed at the outline of Niima fortress on the horizon.

 

* * *

 

Rey entered the kitchen of Niima fortress much like a desert storm herself, jostling hanging earthenware pitchers and trailing sand in her wake. The commotion woke the old woman dozing by the hearth, and she sprung to her feet, going from the peace of sleep to the harried fretfulness that characterized her waking hours faster than Rey thought humanly possible. 

 

“Child, you know its not healthy to wake someone from a deep sleep,” she spoke sharply. “But considering what you’ve brought us, I will have to forgive you this one time.” She continued as her watery eyes focused on the quail and hare Rey set on the table. 

 

“Of course Nona.” Rey replied smiling. She was accustomed to the woman’s brusque tone. “I'm going to ask Lord San Tekka about our supply runs to the villages today, then I can help with those birds." 

 

"No use in that." The older woman replied. "He’s set off after breakfast. Won’t be back for a fortnight by his reckoning." 

 

"A fortnight? And to where?" Rey asked sharply, brow furrowing.   


 

"He didn’t say."

 

"Doesn’t he know the raiders have been killing travelers, even on the Emperor’s road?" Across the Empire the stone paved roads marked with the Emperor's seal were known to be patrolled frequently by soldiers, no matter how remote the region. Within the last two weeks several traveling traders and even local knights had come to Niima fortress to report attacks by bandits that lived to the north. 

 

"I reckon as lord of this land he does know that." Nona replied.

 

Rey exhaled sharply through her nose. She felt like she was about to crawl out of her skin. Nona methodically began plucking the feathers from the pheasants. 

 

"Don’t fret child. He took trusted men with him." the woman paused, watching the girl with a soft expression. "You’re seventeen now, its not proper to be traipsing across the desert with military men."

 

"For all I know he’s gone to marry me off to Unkar Plutt." She replied in mock irritation, crossing her arms as she sat down. 

 

The old woman laughed and Rey shot her a smirk in response. Unkar Plutt was a knight, and the most powerful man in Jakku province aside from Lord San Tekka. His stronghold’s proximity to an ancient battle ground helped him prosper in the, often illegal, artifact trade. He also wrote monthly with increasingly grand offers for Rey’s hand, all of which the lord adamantly refused. However, when Rey was disobedient, as she often was, he wouldn’t hesitate to bring out the letters and tease her mercilessly about her future life as Lady Plutt. 

 

"Lord Tekka didn’t think it improper when I out raced his best men last winter." Rey replied, joining Nona in her attack on the bird carcasses. 

 

"He is too forgiving when you’re concerned." The older woman replied, though not unkindly. "He knows that once you turn eighteen it will be his duty to find a suitable match for you - hopefully in a region less desolate than this."

 

"But I don’t want to leave you all!" Rey replied, suddenly finding herself fighting back a surge of emotion. She spent most of her days dreaming about life anywhere but here. Why was it so difficult now to think about leaving. "And what if my family returns for me and I’m gone? How will i ever know who they are?"

 

Nona looked at her quietly for a moment, before touching her gently under the chin. "Your family would want you to have to opportunity to live. You will not find that here." 

 

Blinking rapidly, Rey looked down, and returned to the task in front of her.

 

* * *

 

After dinner Rey sat at her desk, studying a piece of paper in the light of a small candle. Since she had learned to read and write, Lord Tekka often left her small word and numerical puzzles to complete. While they were frustrating and often left her with a pounding headache, Rey loved to see the look of quiet praise he would bestow on her when she rushed into his library with the solution. 

 

As Rey grew, the puzzles too grew in complexity. This latest, presumably delivered to her room prior to his departure that morning, was the most confusing and frustrating yet. It appeared to be part of an incomplete map. She did not recognize any of the cities or geographical landmarks. She had half heartedly grabbed an atlas, but after several minutes realized it was futile. With no reference point to start from it would take longer than she could fathom to compare the map to every known territory catalogued in her book.

 

Sighing, Rey leaned back in her chair, feeling a satisfying crack run up her spine. Perhaps Lord San Tekka had given her a puzzle meant to keep her occupied for the fortnight he planned to be away. Not that she didn’t have enough to do with the supply delay. The thought made Rey’s stomach clench. The cause for Lord Tekka’s departure was suddenly clear. She’d been complaining about being left behind, when he had to act quickly to secure the safety of the people of Jakku. Plus, she would be able to do far more good by remaining at the outpost and helping provide food for its residents.

 

The loud bang of solid metal on wood sounded from downstairs, and all at once the entire fortress reverberated with the sound of panicked voices and the distinctive clang of metal armor. On instinct, Rey grabbed a small sheathed dagger from her desk and, without knowing why, the paper from Lord Tekka, shoving both into her tunic before hurrying out of her room and onto the landing.

 

Looking down into the foyer she saw the household servants huddled together, faces tear stained and pale. They were surrounded by at least twenty soldiers all armored in white - the Emperor’s stormtroopers. Rey had seen such soldiers many times, they always accompanied the Emperor’s tax collector on his monthly rounds through the provinces, but never in such numbers. It always seemed strange to her that they never removed their helmets - even in the blinding heat of the desert. Some of the servants tried to scare her as a child by telling her they wore the masks to hide their grotesque and monstrous faces. They always seemed human enough to her though. 

 

Suddenly, she heard a voice she recognized, and instantly felt a hard pit form in her stomach. Leaning over the stone ledge, she looked beneath her to see the hulking mass of a man that was Lord Unkar Plutt. Perhaps he really had come to marry her after all. 

 

The sound of heavy boots on the stairs to her right caught her attention, and she turned to see a tall stormtrooper in silver armor approaching. They carried a black crossbow across their chest and walked with a purpose that made Rey take a shaky step back. Flexing her hand around the dagger in her tunic, she steeled herself for the soldiers approach. With Lord Tekka gone she was the Lady of the house, and she would do everything in her power to protect those who were in her care.

 

“You are Lady Rey of Niima, Ward of Lord San Tekka?” The soldier asked in a voice that Rey was surprised to find sounded female, even through the echoing distortion of the helmet.

 

“I am.” She replied, tilting her chin to look up into the silver helm, how the flame from a nearby brazier danced across its smooth surface, the blackness behind the slanted openings in the vizor where eyes should be. 

 

“I am Captain Phasma of the Emperor’s guard. I am here to inform you that you are now a ward of the Emperor, and as such will be taken immediately to the capital for your safety.”

 

Rey felt her breath catch in her throat and stick. Her hands dropped to her side, limp. “There must be some mistake.”

 

“Lord San Tekka was found murdered on the road this morning. You will come with us now.” The soldier grabbed Rey's arm firmly, as if she expected immediate resistance. Rey barely felt the burn of the steel gauntlet, still hot from a days ride in the desert. 

"What about these people. You can't leave them to fend for themselves!" Rey protested, snapping back to herself at the sight of the huddled servants waiting for her at the foot of the stairs. 

 

"His Imperial Highness has appointed Lord Plutt as Warden of Jakku." Captain Phasma paused, perhaps sensing the shiver that ran through Rey's body. "He very much wanted you to remain here and marry him. His Imperial Highness did not deem that appropriate." She continued cooly. 

At the bottom of the stairs she was flanked by another stormtrooper and escorted to the front door. Rey had little time to gasp out a weak "goodbye" to the people she had called family for the last fourteen years, before she was pushed into the dry night air of the desert, the wind cooling the tears that streamed down her face. 

 

 


	2. The Emperor’s Road

Rey had always enjoyed riding horseback - the wind on her face, the exhilaration in the pit of her stomach when she finally coaxed her old gelding into a gallop, his feet leaving the ground for that split second every stride. It was the closest she imagined she could ever get to flying. What she had come to realize however, was that her body did not enjoy spending five consecutive days in the saddle, riding at breakneck speed over the hard stone of the Emperor’s Road. 

 

They had stopped briefly to rest the horses, but had made no formal camp, opting to ride through the night. Rey rode pillion sideways behind the silver clad Captain, despite Rey’s protestations that she could ride on her own. The awkward position forced her to either face to the side and grow nauseous, or twist forward and strain her back. Plasma had explained that it wasn’t proper for a noblewoman to ride astride, although Rey imagined it wasn’t exactly proper for a lady to ride behind a soldier either - female or no. 

 

For this reason they had not physically searched her person, although Rey hoped that was because she was to be a respected member of the Emperor’s court, not his prisoner. While she had learned the rudimentary history of the Empire and its workings, she felt woefully unprepared for what lay ahead of her. She had contemplated escape several times, each time reaching the same conclusion. Even if she could manage to sneak away, or perhaps steal a horse, she would be alone, without direction or supplies. They were still in the outer reaches of the Empire, and aside from a few small outposts there were not many places likely to take her in, or hide her from Imperial soldiers.

 

Faced with the cacophonous drum roll of iron clad hooves over stone, Rey reserved her questions for the brief moments she was allowed to dismount, aching legs wobbly as a newborn foal.

 

“Why are we moving so quickly? Surely the Emperor doesn’t have any immediate need for me in court.” She asked, gingerly sitting on a fallen log. They had left Jakku province only two days ago, and already the landscape had drastically changed. Rolling dunes had given way to flat brown grass plains, then to forrest with trees taller than Rey had dreamed possible, each decorated with thousands of bright emerald leaves. She ran her fingers over the bark of the log beneath her, its rough texture tempered every so often by spongy moss. 

 

“We do what is necessary. Do not concern yourself Lady, we will be at court soon enough.” Phasma replied, before turning to loosen her horses’s girth and lead him to a near by stream. 

 

“It’s the rebels.” A soft voice spoke to her left, causing Rey to whip around. 

 

A white clad stormtrooper stood a few feet away, reins to his grazing horse held tightly in gloved hands. 

 

“What do you mean?” She asked, surprised he was speaking to her. She hadn’t heard a word from any of the soldiers, aside from Phasma’s orders and curt replies, since she had been taken from Niima. 

 

“The rebels, they’ve started attacking imperial units with more frequency, especially in the outer reaches of the Empire - my Lady” he added on, seeming to just then realize who he was speaking to. His voice, though modulated through the metal of his helmet, sounded young. “Forgive me my lady.” He continued, nervously readjusting his hold on the reins.

 

“Its ok.” Rey replied, smiling. “You don’t know how nice it is to finally talk to someone.” 

 

“Oh, I do, my lady.” He replied, with what sounded almost like a laugh. Rey didn’t think she’d heard a stormtrooper laugh before. 

 

“These - rebels, have they been attacking civilians as well?” She asked, chest clenching painfully at the memories the question dragged up - the smiling face of the man she thought of as a father, now gone forever. 

 

“Yes.” The stormtrooper replied softly, looking down. “You must be wondering about the attack on Lord San Tekka?” 

 

Rey nodded mutely. 

 

“There were rumors, amongst the men, that rebel insignia were found at the site. Lord San Tekka was a Warden of the Empire. He would have been a target.” 

 

Rey could feel her heart racing in her chest, an unpleasant and inescapable feeling. In the days since she learned of her guardian’s death she had told herself it had been desert raiders, lawless bandits that lived in the hills and fought for nothing but their own greed. She didn’t know that there was a rebellion going on in the Empire, much less one that could come to Jakku. Once again she cursed her lack of knowledge.

 

“I’m sorry again my lady.” The soldier continued. “Lord San Tekka was said to be a great man.” 

 

Rey smiled softly, and made to reply, but Captain Phasma was striding back into view, motioning impatiently for her to remount. With a quick look back at the stormtrooper, Rey swung up into the saddle, and their retinue set off again, hooves echoing in the stillness of the forrest. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Two days of hard riding later they finally came to a stop in the town of Dulok. While considered to be a small city, to Rey, Dulok may as well have been the capital itself. She had never seen stone walls of that height, or so many buildings and people in one place. Compared to the stucco desert dwellings of Jakku, the stone and thatch houses that lined the streets seemed opulent beyond imagination.

 

Rey was left out side the walls with two stormtroopers while Phasma and the others rode into the city without a word, only to return less than an hour later with a carriage in tow. It was like something Rey had only seen in books - painted brightly in red and gold and drawn by four matched bay horses. As they drew closer, she could see the black and gold spoked circle, like a great wheel, that all in the Empire - even in the farthest reaches - would recognize. It was the seal of the emperor. 

 

She felt her stomach clench. Had the emperor really come all this way, just for her? She shook the thought away as quickly as it had come. While the carriage was finer than anything she’d ever seen, the paint was chipped in spots, and it was accompanied by no fewer guards than those that had set out for the city. Despite this rationalization, Rey still felt slight trepidation when she was pushed towards the carriage door and the unknown blackness behind it. 

 

To her relief the compartment was empty, although it was suffocatingly dark and hot, the thick glass windows covered by the same crushed velvet material that lined the seats. No sooner had she climbed the rickety steps and sat down, the door was closed behind her, and this strange box on wheels set off. Rey found the sensation of riding in the carriage infinitely worse than her last week on horseback. The rolling of the road beneath wheels quickly turned into a rolling in her stomach, and she had to fight to keep from loosing what meager contents it contained. She tried to pull back the curtains enough to open a window, only to find that they were securely sealed shut. Groaning, she leaned back against the seat cushions and closed her eyes, drifting in and out of sleep. 

 

Rey awoke to the jerking sensation of the carriage coming to a halt, so forcefully that it almost threw her into the unoccupied seat opposite her. Scrambling up, she was attempting to pull the heavy curtains aside when the swung open and Captain Phasma's silver helmeted head appeared, the metal glowing red in the light of her torch. Rey felt a herself shiver and her skin turn to gooseflesh as the outside air rushed in, smelling of smoke and something biting she couldn't identify. It was cool in the desert at night, but she had never experienced cold so raw and hostile. Wrapping her arms around herself for warmth, she stepped out of the carriage, and was instantly surrounded by walls of pure white stone, at least four stories high. They were in what appeared to be an alleyway, so narrow that it barely fit the carriage. The strange white stone walls shone silver in the moonlight, and Rey couldn't help but stare up at them, touching the smooth surface with her fingertips. 

 

"This way." Phasma was at her elbow, guiding her towards an alcove and a wooden door. Rey felt panic rising in her throat again. Had they brought her all this way just to throw her in the dungeon? Surely they wouldn't have spared the expense to bring her in a carriage with the emperor's crest if that were the case? 

 

Rey barely had time to think as she was ushered up winding circular staircases and down unending corridors. She tried in vain to remember each turn they took, but eventually each faded into the next and she lost all count. As they went the number of stormtroopers accompanying her dropped off until it was only her and Phasma, the sound of her boots and Rey's soft soled shoes making for odd companions as they echoed through the empty hallway. The captain set a brisk pace, and Rey would have been too out of breath to ask questions, had she the composure to ask any. Her legs were both sore from days of riding and stiff from sitting in the carriage. It was not a good combination.

 

Finally, when Rey felt her legs might just give out underneath her, Phasma turned a corner and stopped.

 

Peering around her, Rey could see that she had removed a key from the pouch at her belt. 

 

“These will be your quarters until a suitable position is found for you.” She spoke, surprisingly handing the key over to Rey, who folded it into her palm. The metal was like a brand against her hand. “As a Ward of the Empire you will have a personal guard stationed outside at all times.” Phasma continued, gesturing to a stormtrooper that seemingly materialized out of the shadows of the hallway. 

 

“I serve at my lady’s pleasure.” The stormtrooper stated, bowing sharply. Rey could have sworn she recognized the voice as the soldier from the forest. She felt a small flicker of hope in her chest. He was the friendliest person she’d met since leaving Jakku, maybe he could help her. 

 

Not knowing what to do in reply, Rey nodded and smiled, before turning back towards Phasma.

 

“Tomorrow you will be presented to the emperor, someone will be along to collect you.” the captain said briskly, and giving a stiff bow turned on her heel and walked back down the hallway and out of sight. 

 

Blinking at her retreating form, Rey realized something was biting into the flesh of her palm - it was the key. She glanced at the stormtrooper standing to the right of her door, the eye slits of his visor black in the dim light. Friend or captor, Rey decided she was too tired to decide at the moment, and turning the key she entered the small stone chamber, and collapsed as soon as she found the bed. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thank you so much to those who have left comments and kudos! Still a bit of background to build but next chapter things will start to pick up! xoxo


	3. The Imperial Court

Rey buried her hands into the skirts of her stiff brocade dress, planted her feet as firmly as possible in the heeled contraptions she’d been forced into, and tried to slow her breathing as she stared up at the ornately carved wooden door before her. 

 

Her face felt stiff even with the apparently minimal amount of makeup that had been applied to it that morning. Thankfully, freckles had been professed to be “in this season,” and she had escaped the ministrations of an overly zealous handmaid. 

 

She had awoken just as down’s fingertips started to peek through the curtains of her quarters. The handmaidens arrived quiet and somber to inform her that they would be preparing her to be formally introduced at court. The women, close in age to Rey, soon grew lively and giggled amongst themselves once they realized that she wasn’t going to cuff them or have them exiled from court for speaking without being spoken to. She was glad they seemed content to discuss court gossip and the intricacies of the many layered outfit they seemed to be sewing her into, rather than ask Rey about any personal details. 

 

“Is all this really necessary?” Rey gasped, as one of the handmaids, Lara, tightened a boned corset near to the point of suffocation. 

 

“The dress demands it my Lady.” She replied. “Though you are skinny enough, you need some shape to you. I have just the solution.” She continued, brandishing a pair of hand sized oval pillows that Rey could only assume were meant to augment her near non existent bust. Growing up in the desert had left her lean and boyish, something she had never considered a cause for concern until this moment.

 

“No, thank you.” She managed to reply, blushing. She wasn’t used to people discussing her body at all, much less how it apparently needed to altered.

 

“Oh no matter. What good is a shapely figure when there are no eligible suitors at court to appreciate it.” Piped up Catriona, one of the younger handmaidens.

 

“There is Lord Dameron….” Lara smiled teasingly at the younger girl. “But he is rarely at court these days.” 

 

“I hear some imperial soldiers are handsome beneath those masks. Mary saw a group of them off duty at The Lion one night and said so.” 

 

“Hardly a suitable match for any true Lady, much less Ward of the Emperor.” 

 

“Well there’s always Lord Ren.” Catriona replied jokingly. Despite the laughter in her tone, Rey felt a shiver of tension run through the older girls in the room. 

 

“To be honest I’m more concerned about falling flat on my face in this contraption than finding a husband.” Rey managed to get out, as two of the women wrestled a heavy black and scarlet brocade gown over her shoulders and began to lace the back. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do when I meet the Emperor.” 

 

Seemingly glad of the change of subject, the girls launched into great detail about the process of introductions, manners, and other intricacies of court that Rey tried desperately to absorb. Time passed unnaturally fast, and once the handmaidens declared her fit to be seen at court, Rey was escorted to the hall from which the Emperor ruled all the lands. 

 

An elderly attendant stood poised and stone faced, a gleaming gold watch in his hand. 

 

“My Lady will wait to be introduced.” He had proclaimed when she’d first arrived, and had not uttered a single word to her in the ten or so minutes that had followed. From the state of the corridor, abandoned save for several imperial guards and servants, Rey guessed all of court must be waiting behind those doors. She had survived in the desert, she had lost her family twice over, yet standing at the threshold of her future she felt more fear in her heart than she’d ever known. 

 

“It is time, my Lady.” The attendant spoke, reaching forward to grasp one golden handle and pull open the door. 

 

Rey barely heard him announce her name over the rushing in her ears and the blinding light of hundreds of candles. Blinking as her eyes adjusted from the darkness of the corridor, she paused to take in her surroundings. 

 

The hall was taller than any Rey had ever seen, with peaked marble arches crossing a dark ceiling painted with gleaming silver stars. The walls were lined with gold thread tapestries, illuminated by what seemed like hundreds of torches. She stood on a scarlet carpet dark as old blood, and as she followed it through the hall her eyes fell on the golden dais which it led up to. The room was so long that Rey couldn’t clearly see the figures seated on it, but she could make out two people - one seated and one standing. 

 

For the first time she noticed the sea of brightly dressed people that lined her path on either side, a sea of people who had suddenly gone silent, and fixed their attention solely on her. As Rey scanned their painted faces, she saw a mix of curiosity, boredom, and disdain. She felt anger suddenly surge through her. She may not be one of them, but she was the ward of Lord San Tekka, Lord of the Jakku province, and she would not give these people any reason to tarnish his memory. 

 

Gritting her teeth, she began to walk forward, holding her head high. She felt the knot in her stomach tighten impossibly further the closer and closer she got to the dais. She could now clearly see the man who must be the Emperor. He was seated on a high backed golden throne, and dressed in a robe of blazing scarlet. He was one of the oldest men she had ever seen, his head bald, face scarred and sunken by time. Yet, despite his frail appearance, he exuded an undeniable aura of power. As she felt his eyes fall on her, Rey couldn’t help but shiver. 

 

While the sight of the Emperor did nothing to quell the unease swirling in her gut, the tall, hooded figure standing to his right sent a shock down her spine, so sudden that it made her stumble as she approached. She felt as if she had seen him somewhere before, perhaps in a dream - or a nightmare, although she knew such a thing to be impossible. 

 

He was clad in all black, with a long hooded cloak like a monk, yet underneath where a human face should have been, was a black and silver wrought mask. The fires of the torches reflected off the dark metal and though she could not see the man’s eyes, she could feel his gaze burning into her, bringing more color to her already flushed face. 

 

She was at the foot of the dais now, and she wrenched her gaze towards the Emperor, who stared down at her from the height of seven steps and his raised throne. Up close his eyes were like blue flint, surveilling her like a fly that had landed in his wine. Mind racing through what little etiquette training she had received, Rey sank into a very unpracticed deep curtsey, the heel of her shoe snagging on the thick fabric of her dress and making her wobble momentarily. She could have sworn she heard quiet giggling from somewhere amongst the assembled courtiers, but she just bit the inside of her lip and stared resolutely at the floor, waiting to acknowledged. 

 

“You may rise.” Spoke a worn, gravelly voice, and Rey straightened, lifting her gaze. “Lady Rey of Jakku, I take you under my protection and declare you my ward. From henceforth you shall be Lady Rey of Coruscant, Ward of the Emperor. May you go in peace and serve the Empire.” 

 

Rey barely had time to curtsey and bow her head before an attendant was at her elbow, ushering her off towards the tables that lined either side of the hall. Her head was spinning, and not just from the brightly colored courtiers swirling around her as they went to take their seats for the evening meal. With one proclamation this man, whose existence had only ever been a remote fact to her, had erased the one name that she had ever known as her own. Now she had been declared his ward, but what did that entail? 

 

The attendant, a young boy with the start of a thready beard, guided Rey over to an empty seat at one of the outermost tables, that seemed to be occupied by young women all close to her own age. Several spared her a cursory glance when she joined them, but most continued on in their own private conversations. Rey thought she’d been overly dressed and done up, but compared to these women she might as well be fresh faced and wearing a simple homespun.

 

Rey sat, and immediately felt her stomach growl. A full meal had been laid out in font of her. There was stew with actual chunks of meat, bread, and fruit - a rare delicacy in the desert. With the supply shortages, they hadn’t been able to eat much more than the rationed grain for the last week. She felt a pang in her heart at the thought of her friends back at Niima. Had the supply train ever arrived? Perhaps her new position would give her some way to help. 

 

“Hi. I’m Talen.” Spoke a soft voice to her right, and Rey turned to see a thin faced girl with straight black hair, twisted back in an elaborate bun, and a shy smile on her face. 

 

“I’m Rey.” She smiled in reply, feeling her the knot in her chest loosen slightly. 

 

“It was hard for me too, at first.” She confided, casting a purposeful look around the table. “Once you find a position things will get better.” 

 

“A position?” Rey asked, unable to keep from tearing into the bread in front of her. 

 

“As a lady in waiting of course.” Talen spoke, brow furrowing at Rey’s own confusion. “To serve a duchess or higher ranking lady is the only suitable occupation for an unmarried lady at court.” 

 

Rey chewed, considering. “Aren’t ladies in waiting meant to serve princesses and queens?” 

 

“Yes indeed, if there were any. Now there is only his Imperial Highness the Emperor, and his heir. Of course there is the dowager, but it would be social and political suicide for any lady to serve a convicted war criminal.” 

 

“An heir?” Rey asked, surprised. In all of the little instruction she received, there had been no talk of anyone other than the Emperor.

 

Talen looked around before leaning in and lowering her voice. “Lord Ren. The knight who stands with his Imperial Highness on the dais.” 

 

Rey turned to look again at the dark figure, and felt that same shockwave down her spine. Despite the distance and the mask on his face, she felt as if she were at the base of the dais again, under that strange burning pressure of his gaze. 

 

“Don’t even look at him.” Talen whispered hurriedly. “He is not a simple knight. There are whispers of…unnatural powers.” 

 

“Now, what are you two little doves talking about?” Broke in a sharp voice from across the table. Rey looked up to see a flame haired girl in a deeply cut emerald gown. She sat with three others huddled closely around her, seeming to hang on her every perfectly articulated word. 

 

“Nothing.” whispered Talen, at the same time Rey blurted out “Lord Ren.” 

 

A mix of emotions flashed over the faces of the girls surrounding her, but the red-head’s quickly settled into a conspiratorial smirk. “Ah so you haven’t heard the stories then.” 

 

“Nyx, dont!” 

 

“They say -” She continued, shooting the other girl a glare. “They say that he is a demon, with leathery skin and a forked tongue like a snake. He has the power to read minds and turn any man to stone with a single glance.” 

 

“Lady Sara says he wears the mask because he’s too beautiful, and doesn’t want to draw attention away from the Emperor.” Pipped up a petite blonde a few seats down from Rey. 

 

“Lady Sara, thinks that fairies exist. ” Nyx replied, rolling her eyes over the use of the honorific. “She told my lady mother that they would steal me away if she didn’t make me wear a full necklace of silver bells.” 

 

The table gave a collective giggle at that, seemingly relived for the brief change in subject matter.

 

“So it’s widely known that he’s the Emperor’s heir?” Rey continued, trying not to let the ridiculous sounding stories distract her. 

 

“Well there can be no other option.” The red-haired girl replied, smoothing her napkin on the table in front of her. “The Emperor, long may he reign, does not have a wife nor children, and seems to have no intent of procuring either. Lord Ren holds the highest rank second only to Himself, and is highly in his favor.” 

 

Rey sat quietly for a moment, realizing for the first time how little she knew about the world that she found herself thrust into. The Emperor was now her warden, and as both her warden and the most powerful man in all the known lands, who knew what machinations he may have for her fate. Would he marry her off to some lord? Or would he keep her at court, forever a lady in waiting to some entitled duchess? Rey didn’t know which option seemed worse. 

 

“Don’t look so upset.” Nyx continued smiling sweetly. “Most new ladies to court are curious about the Empire’s most eligible bachelor, no matter the rumors. However, as a friend, I would advise you to leave your simple curiosity at that.” 

 

Rey felt her hackles rise at the insinuation. She wasn’t some title chaser looking to advance her lot in life - certainly not when the man in question seemed as odd as he was terrifying. A man who wore a mask, who lurked in the shadows - it wasn’t natural. 

 

“I have no more interest in Lord Ren than I do a snake.” She bit back, turning to throw a purposeful glare at the object of her contempt. However, when her eyes found his dark form on the dais, she found herself suddenly frozen, that same burning sensation at the base of her skull, as if someone were trying to pry her head open and reveal all the thoughts and desires that lay inside. There was something else there too, she felt, a kind of curiosity that she couldn’t help but wonder if was real or imagined. Of course it all had to be imagined she thought, shaking her head quickly and feeling the pressure suddenly subside, such strange powers only existed in stories. 

 

When she turned back, Nyx was smirking at her, as if she had caught Rey in a lie. She almost wished she could yell at the other girl, but knew that she wouldn’t be believed. She would surely become the next Lady Sara if she started going off about how she felt like Lord Ren was watching her and trying to read her thoughts.

 

Just then, a series of horns sounded, and all the seated courtiers around her rose simultaneously. 

 

“What’s going on now?” Rey asked Talen, catching the younger girl’s eye. 

 

“Dinner has been dismissed, we must return to our ladies quarter or our own for the evening. Take care Rey.” Talen smiled, and reluctantly turned away. 

 

Rey stared down at all the food remaining on the table, how little the other ladies had touched their plates. Her stomach rolled to see that much food left to be discarded. Quickly shoving a few rolls into the pocket of her skirts, Rey turned and almost collided with the bearded youth who had escorted her to her table. 

 

“My Lady.” He greeted, seeming unperturbed by her lack of grace. “Please accompany me. Your things are being moved to your new chambers.” 

 

“New chambers?” Rey felt her heart sink for a moment, before she remembered she had tucked the map from Lord San Tekka into her kirtle while there handmaidens had been busy arguing over a what type of stitching would best suit a tear in her train. Anyone who had come upon her chambers would have surely discarded it as trash or burned it in the fire. She felt her chest tighten at the thought of it. 

 

“Yes My Lady. You will share adjoining chambers with your new mistress. Please follow me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First I want to say thank you to everyone who sent me encouraging messages to continue this story!! My personal life got in the way over the last year, but I hope now I can finally start posting chapters more frequently. 
> 
> Rey has seemingly secured a position as a lady in waiting sooner than she anticipated - but who is her mysterious new mistress? Will she learn more about the mysterious Lord Ren and if the stories about him are true? Midnight meetings and more next chapter! 
> 
> As always I appreciate comments and critique! xoxo


	4. Perspective

Lord Kylo Ren knelt on the smooth black marble of Emperor Snoke’s receiving room floor. The pressure of his knee against such a hard surface was growing excruciating, and his feet had gone numb long ago. The muscles between his broad shoulder blades and along the back of his neck burned, yet he could not, would not, look up. While Emperor Snoke had entered the room over half an hour ago, he had not acknowledged him, and the decorum of his training would not allow him to rise until his master had done so. 

 

Emperor Snoke was a wise master, and whatever he did, whatever discomfort he put upon him to endure, it was always instructive. As Kylo stared at the textured grain of the marble floor, the innocuous sounds of Snoke taking his evening meal in the periphery of his awareness, he allowed his mind to wander back to the girl. 

 

He hadn’t known that San Tekka had a ward, and he cursed himself for the missed opportunity. Perhaps with the right leverage he would have been able to get the information he needed from the old fool. The sight of her, a desert rat was a rat even wearing imperial silk, had only served to remind him of his failure, and of the instruction he had received from Snoke as a result of it. 

 

He had cast out a cursory glance across her mind, unsurprised at the fear and loneliness he found there. These were not strange emotions for him to sense in others, although he had long since felt them himself. His master’s teaching had made him strong enough to never feel that weakness again. 

 

As he brushed past the outer emotions she projected, he was surprised to find that he could go no further into her thoughts than were he trying to see through a stone wall. He felt the familiar burn of frustration creep up the back of his neck. How could such a girl conceal anything from him? He toyed with the idea that she was simply so dense that there was nothing else to her mind, yet as she approached the glint of fire in her eyes and the set of her jaw told him there was something else under the surface, out of his reach. 

 

Clenching his fists, he had doubled his concentration, lashing out at that impenetrable wall. She stumbled, and he quickly drew back, cursing his rashness. It would not reflect well on the Emperor for his newest ward to be seen as ungainly in front of the entire court, no matter how true that assessment appeared to be. Thankfully she recovered with little break in her stride, enough for the snakes of the court to see and titter about amongst themselves, but not enough to generate further gossip. 

 

He would have to continue his exploration into her mind later. Perhaps he could catch her alone in some seldom used corridor - it would not be difficult to do in a labyrinth such as the Emperor’s palace. The thought of such an encounter had made his skin flush again, half with anticipation, and half with something he could not identify, but which his mind pushed quickly away. He could not deny that she was intriguing, for all that she was skin and bones and clearly had little manners or accomplishment, there was a defiance in her eyes that had affected him beyond reason. 

 

She had moved away from the dais then, and though he had sensed when his name was mentioned, and smirked at the foolish stories they told of him, he had closed his mind to her in turn, for he sensed Snoke had an idea of the turbulence of his thoughts, and did not wish to draw any more attention to them. He did not want to face the shame of acknowledging to his master that he could not read the mind of a simple girl. No, he would interrogate her further, perhaps even learn more of San Tekka’s traitorous doings, and then report what he found. 

 

As he continued to kneel, Kylo wondered if it was this transgression for which he was now being punished. He had been so careful to cloak his thoughts, to strengthen the shields of his mind, yet he could never be sure. If he confessed all he could learn to be free of these thoughts, which seemed to leave him in a perpetual state of frustration, however if Snoke knew of the girl’s ability to resist him, he would want to interrogate her himself, and there was something in Kylo that selfishly knew he wanted, needed, to be the only one to truly know the secrets of her mind. 

 

“There is conflict in you, my apprentice.” Spoke Emperor Snoke, setting aside his plate. “And I can sense the reason why.” 

 

Kylo rose stiffly to his feet, feeling the painful sting as sensation flooded back into his legs. His stomach knotted at the idea that he had been discovered so soon, yet he kept his mind blank when he replied. “Yes, master.” 

 

“It is the same reason that I am so displeased.” He continued. “It is the dowager, your mother Leia Organa, who continues to try my patience. If she thinks she is making a statement by taking my ward on as her lady in waiting she is gravely mistaken.” 

 

Kylo was thankful he still wore his mask, otherwise the look of surprise and relief that passed across his face would have revealed all. Snoke did not know the true direction of his thoughts, which was a boon, yet the dowager’s involvement would surely impede his ability to gain access to the girl. 

 

“She is a fool.” He replied flatly. 

 

“She is up to something.” Snoke smiled, thin lips shining with grease from his recently finished meal. “And with this recent move she has played right into our hands. Let the girl serve her, grow in her confidence, learn with whom she speaks, overhear what plans they make. Then, Kylo Ren, make this girl our servant and we will finally rid the empire of this traitorous rebellion.” 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The sparsely bearded youth led Rey from the brightly lit main hall into a series of consecutively dimmer passageways. While she had little concept of the layout of the palace, she sensed they were headed in a general downward direction. The air grew cooler and took on a damp, musty smell the further they went, and the courtiers and servants crowding the halls eventually thinned until Rey and her escort were the only souls to be seen, footstep echoing in the silence. Wrapping her arms around herself, Rey struggled to keep up in the infernal heels she had been forced into.

 

As the page walked in front of her, she had the sensation that there was something on his mind.There was an energy, like a cloud around his head, something bright and thrumming that seemed to shine like a sunny day. It was happiness. How Rey knew she couldn’t say, but there was something this young man was very happy about, although his bored, almost taxed expression did not show it. Staring at the back of his head, she tried to focus further on that strange energy, only to find images passing before her eyes like a memory. A young girl with slightly large teeth was smiling, a golden ring on her finger. 

 

Shaking her head, her vision cleared, and she almost ran into the back of the man walking in front of her. Apologizing quickly, they continued on, leaving Rey with a headache, wondering if what happened had been real, or merely a product of her over tired, over strained mind. On several occasions she opened her mouth to ask him, but thought better of it. 

 

After what seemed like an hour, but in reality had probably been a quarter of that, Rey found herself being presented before a barred wooden door, flanked on both sides by white armored guards. 

 

“I have brought the dowager’s new lady in waiting, the Lady Rey.” Spoke the page, gesturing back towards her. 

 

Rey felt her heart sink. This must the be unfortunate woman that was so derided by Lady Nyx and her coterie. It made sense considering the heavily barred door and armed guards. Of course it would be her luck to receive the most ill appointed assignment - and on her first day at court. She had naively assume that being a ward of the emperor would give her some sort of standing, although it appeared that title afforded her little more than novelty and a place to rest her head. 

 

Both guards surveyed her with the blank expression of their visored helmets, and Rey found one familiar somehow, although she couldn’t exactly say why. 

 

“Hello Lady Rey, a pleasure to be at your service again.” The man spoke, and she recognized him instantly as the soldier from the road. 

 

She could have hugged him, but settled for breaking into a wide smile. At least there was someone she knew in this strange new place. 

 

“And it is my pleasure to see a friendly face, so to speak.” She replied, eyeing the smooth metal of his helmet. “I don’t believe I know your name sir.”

 

“It’s Fin, my lady.” He replied. 

 

“Rey is fine, please.” She insisted, wishing she could linger at the doorway, clinging to the one familiar person she knew in this entire castle. However the other trooper had already unbarred the door, and was swinging it open to usher her through. Casting one final look at Fin, who seemed to be sending her a sympathetic look from behind his black visor, she crossed the threshold and entered the candlelit room beyond. 

 

The sight that greeted Rey as her eyes adjusted to the dim light could have made her cry. Though the room was small and rough hewn, the walls were lined with shelves of books from floor to ceiling. Open tomes and parchments were scattered across several tables, candles burned down almost to the wick yet fluttering valiantly. It was like stepping back into the library at Niima, complete with the smell of ink and wax, tough the figure leaning over a wide desk was decidedly different than the one from the memory welling up in Rey’s mind. 

 

Blinking back tears, she watched as the figure straightened, fixing Rey with a direct and assessing stare. 

 

The woman was short and must have been close in age to Lord San Tekka, although despite her size and age she radiated a quiet power and regality that left Rey feeling as if she should bow as she had before the Emperor. 

 

Deciding to err on the side of caution, she sank into a deep curtsey, lowering her head. It was the sound of soft laughter, not mocking, merely quietly amused, that made her look up.

 

“You’d better not let Snoke see you bowing like that before me, or he’ll start to think I’m getting ideas.” The woman said. “Those days are long behind me.” 

 

“I’m sorry my lady.” Rey blurted out, clenching her hands in front of her. She had wanted to make a good impression on the lady she was meant to serve, yet she felt like, as always, she was doing the wrong thing. 

 

“No need to apologize.” The woman chided gently, setting aside her book and moving closer. In the light Rey could see the shocks of white that threaded through her grey brown hair, and the find paper thin lines of her face. She was not truly passed middle age, yet somehow time had touched her more than it did others. 

 

“You must be Rey.” The woman continued. “You may call me Leia, none of this “my lady’ nonsense.” She waved her hand in a mock half curtsey, smiling conspiratorially. 

 

Rey smiled back, feeling relief surge through her. She had expected the dowager to be a crazed lunatic at worst, an older version of Lady Nyx at best. While serving as a lady in waiting a political prisoner did not seem ideal, Rey supposed it could have been worse. 

 

“I knew your guardian Lord San Tekka.” Leia added quietly, watching Rey closely. “He was a good man.” 

 

Again Rey felt her eyes well up, her throat tightened, her lungs seemed to burn as if she could not take in enough air - and then there was a gentle hand on her shoulder, radiating a warmth that seemed to relax her entire body.

 

"No one’s ever really gone." The older woman spoke gently, and for the first time since that terrible night, Rey felt the sorrow in her heart begin to heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked seeing things from Kylo's perspective! He has to start out as a bit of a socially awkward jerk but hopefully someone can help him with that...   
> Thank you to everyone who left comments and kudos! Seriously, seeing that helps inspire me to keep writing! xoxo


End file.
